Unfederated

A Podcast About Freelancing

About the show

In a world of cubicles, office hours, arbitrary deadlines and unproductive meetings, more and more people are choosing to reclaim their work experience. Different as night and day, a brother and sister compare notes on their success navigating the world of business as a solo lawyer and freelance marketing consultant. Join Rob and Sara as they learn from each other and strive to make hay while the sun shines.

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Episode List

May 21st, 2019
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32 mins 44 secs

In this episode, Sara might have gotten bitten by a pig, and that is the reason she didn’t respond to email on vacation. Rob has a minor freak out session over losing a client, but then comes back to reality when things end up working out anyway. Sara also discusses the need to get back to the “scrappy” mentality that she had in the beginning of striking out on her own.

May 14th, 2019
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30 mins 20 secs

Rob gets some advice from his father in law (who's been a self employed attorney for decades), and discusses it with Sara. They also discuss balancing client relationships with emergency requests, and how that may impact pruning your client list at the end of the year.

May 7th, 2019
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42 mins 25 secs

Sara and Rob discuss the nature of self promotion when running your own business. Between panels, networking events, and online self promotion, what are the best ways to let people know what your expertise is without coming across "scammy"?

April 23rd, 2019
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36 mins 7 secs

In this episode, Sara talks with Aaron Martin about becoming an "accidental entrepreneur". Aaron recently left his previous law firm and opened up a solo practice. With a baby on the way, he's evaluating health insurance, office expenses, building a client base, and more.

April 16th, 2019
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38 mins 53 secs

In this episode, Rob and Sara talk about ways that freelancers can (or have to) stay up to date with the latest trends in the industry, gain continuing education credits (CEU), and remain lifelong learners. Sara also discusses surge pricing on AirBnB during late April in Colorado.

April 9th, 2019
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41 mins 37 secs

In this episode, Rob and Sara look at the usefulness of attending conferences for freelancers. When you consider the travel cost, time away from billable hours, and the stress of traveling - do they provide enough return on your investment to go? If you are hosting a booth in an expo hall, how can you get the best bang for your buck to meet new clients? They discuss it all, and they share some fun stories from past conferences.

April 2nd, 2019
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30 mins 5 secs

Clients come and clients go, but there is certainly a "break up" process that goes along with it. If you ended on good terms, how can you finalize the project in such a way that you could easily pick back up again if their needs change?

March 26th, 2019
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41 mins 36 secs

As freelancers, you often get asked to do things outside of your scope. In this episode, Rob and Sara discuss the pros and cons of “staying in your lane”. Rob talks about the time he got reversed two week noticed, but it wasn’t “hush money”.

March 19th, 2019
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58 mins 51 secs

Rob and Sara are joined by Bradley Chambers to discuss freelancing while maintaining a traditional 9-5 job. Bradley has no desire to leave his full time job, but rather uses freelancing as a way to supplement his income. He discusses tips, tricks, and tools to stay organized.

March 5th, 2019
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40 mins 10 secs

Rob and Sara are joined by Austin Jett to talk about health insurance options for freelancers. There are a lot of things changing in the healthcare space all around, and it will certainly impact freelancers as well. Austin goes through all the types of insurance, discusses how current legislation impacts freelancers, and talks about upcoming trends in healthcare.

February 26th, 2019
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34 mins 14 secs

In this episode, we learn that Sara ate moldy bread (and is probably very sick at this point), and Rob read a new (to him) book by Seth Godin called “The Dip”. The Dip is a little book that teaches you when to quit things and when to stick with them. The Dip is a temporary setback in a hobby or project that sometimes get better if you keep pushing, but should you?

February 19th, 2019
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41 mins 55 secs

In this episode, Rob and Sara discuss the idea of emotional labor vs physical labor. Even for jobs based around the internet (and clicking buttons), time is still a factor. How do you balance the emotional needs of clients vs simply performing a task? Sara also gives a key phrase to end all client phone calls with that can eliminate a lot of future miscommunication.

February 12th, 2019
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40 mins 12 secs

Rob and Sara discuss habits, and how they impact our lives. There are good habits and bad habits that freelancers can pick up. Your goal should be to strike the balance between keeping your day structured enough to keep you on task while staying flexible in order to address things that pop up (even if not work related). Sara addresses the role of “adding” habits vs “removing” them.

Sara has a new book coming out, so be sure to stay to the end for the special announcement.

February 5th, 2019
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39 mins 23 secs

Sara and Rob discuss one of the downsides (or benefits) to freelancing: short term and long term disability. A lot of freelancers think one of the benefits of traditional employment is the benefits package. One way to look at being a freelancer is you are in control of exactly how your benefits package is structured. Learn more about the why and how of short term and long term disability.

January 29th, 2019
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37 mins 48 secs

Rob and Sara discuss one of the "good problems to have" for freelancers. What happens when you don't have enough time for new clients? How do you balance quality of life with having backup plans incase an existing client leaves? They also discuss why you should still be marketing and networking even if you aren't taking on new clients at the time.